Biomaterial Database

Efficacy of phenobarbital in neonatal seizures. 1985

C B Van Orman, and H Z Darwish

A retrospective study of neonatal seizures in a tertiary care neonatal intensive care unit determined a 3.2% incidence, and confirmed the relatively poor efficacy of the traditional anticonvulsants phenobarbital and phenytoin. Only 33% responded to an initial adequate loading dose of phenobarbital, while 56% responded to either or both anticonvulsants. Although multifocal clonic seizures were most common (42%), tonic seizures were next in frequency (30%). Tonic seizures which did not respond to phenobarbital responded quite poorly to the addition of phenytoin compared to other seizures types. Tonic seizures may be the result of brainstem release phenomena and require a different strategy for management. Among nonresponders in this study, there was a 56% mortality rate but only 33% of responders died. There is a critical need for studies to find more efficacious agents than phenobarbital and phenytoin to treat seizures in the newborn.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D007231	Infant, Newborn	An infant during the first 28 days after birth.	Neonate,Newborns,Infants, Newborn,Neonates,Newborn,Newborn Infant,Newborn Infants
D010634	Phenobarbital	A barbituric acid derivative that acts as a nonselective central nervous system depressant. It potentiates GAMMA-AMINOBUTYRIC ACID action on GABA-A RECEPTORS, and modulates chloride currents through receptor channels. It also inhibits glutamate induced depolarizations.	Phenemal,Phenobarbitone,Phenylbarbital,Gardenal,Hysteps,Luminal,Phenobarbital Sodium,Phenobarbital, Monosodium Salt,Phenylethylbarbituric Acid,Acid, Phenylethylbarbituric,Monosodium Salt Phenobarbital,Sodium, Phenobarbital
D010672	Phenytoin	An anticonvulsant that is used to treat a wide variety of seizures. It is also an anti-arrhythmic and a muscle relaxant. The mechanism of therapeutic action is not clear, although several cellular actions have been described including effects on ion channels, active transport, and general membrane stabilization. The mechanism of its muscle relaxant effect appears to involve a reduction in the sensitivity of muscle spindles to stretch. Phenytoin has been proposed for several other therapeutic uses, but its use has been limited by its many adverse effects and interactions with other drugs.	Diphenylhydantoin,Fenitoin,Phenhydan,5,5-Diphenylhydantoin,5,5-diphenylimidazolidine-2,4-dione,Antisacer,Difenin,Dihydan,Dilantin,Epamin,Epanutin,Hydantol,Phenytoin Sodium,Sodium Diphenylhydantoinate,Diphenylhydantoinate, Sodium
D006801	Humans	Members of the species Homo sapiens.	Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D012189	Retrospective Studies	Studies used to test etiologic hypotheses in which inferences about an exposure to putative causal factors are derived from data relating to characteristics of persons under study or to events or experiences in their past. The essential feature is that some of the persons under study have the disease or outcome of interest and their characteristics are compared with those of unaffected persons.	Retrospective Study,Studies, Retrospective,Study, Retrospective
D012640	Seizures	Clinical or subclinical disturbances of cortical function due to a sudden, abnormal, excessive, and disorganized discharge of brain cells. Clinical manifestations include abnormal motor, sensory and psychic phenomena. Recurrent seizures are usually referred to as EPILEPSY or "seizure disorder."	Absence Seizure,Absence Seizures,Atonic Absence Seizure,Atonic Seizure,Clonic Seizure,Complex Partial Seizure,Convulsion,Convulsions,Convulsive Seizure,Convulsive Seizures,Epileptic Seizure,Epileptic Seizures,Generalized Absence Seizure,Generalized Tonic-Clonic Seizures,Jacksonian Seizure,Myoclonic Seizure,Non-Epileptic Seizure,Nonepileptic Seizure,Partial Seizure,Seizure,Seizures, Convulsive,Seizures, Focal,Seizures, Generalized,Seizures, Motor,Seizures, Sensory,Tonic Clonic Seizure,Tonic Seizure,Tonic-Clonic Seizure,Atonic Absence Seizures,Atonic Seizures,Clonic Seizures,Complex Partial Seizures,Convulsion, Non-Epileptic,Generalized Absence Seizures,Myoclonic Seizures,Non-Epileptic Seizures,Nonepileptic Seizures,Partial Seizures,Petit Mal Convulsion,Seizures, Auditory,Seizures, Clonic,Seizures, Epileptic,Seizures, Gustatory,Seizures, Olfactory,Seizures, Somatosensory,Seizures, Tonic,Seizures, Tonic-Clonic,Seizures, Vertiginous,Seizures, Vestibular,Seizures, Visual,Single Seizure,Tonic Seizures,Tonic-Clonic Seizures,Absence Seizure, Atonic,Absence Seizure, Generalized,Absence Seizures, Atonic,Absence Seizures, Generalized,Auditory Seizure,Auditory Seizures,Clonic Seizure, Tonic,Clonic Seizures, Tonic,Convulsion, Non Epileptic,Convulsion, Petit Mal,Convulsions, Non-Epileptic,Focal Seizure,Focal Seizures,Generalized Seizure,Generalized Seizures,Generalized Tonic Clonic Seizures,Generalized Tonic-Clonic Seizure,Gustatory Seizure,Gustatory Seizures,Motor Seizure,Motor Seizures,Non Epileptic Seizure,Non Epileptic Seizures,Non-Epileptic Convulsion,Non-Epileptic Convulsions,Olfactory Seizure,Olfactory Seizures,Partial Seizure, Complex,Partial Seizures, Complex,Seizure, Absence,Seizure, Atonic,Seizure, Atonic Absence,Seizure, Auditory,Seizure, Clonic,Seizure, Complex Partial,Seizure, Convulsive,Seizure, Epileptic,Seizure, Focal,Seizure, Generalized,Seizure, Generalized Absence,Seizure, Generalized Tonic-Clonic,Seizure, Gustatory,Seizure, Jacksonian,Seizure, Motor,Seizure, Myoclonic,Seizure, Non-Epileptic,Seizure, Nonepileptic,Seizure, Olfactory,Seizure, Partial,Seizure, Sensory,Seizure, Single,Seizure, Somatosensory,Seizure, Tonic,Seizure, Tonic Clonic,Seizure, Tonic-Clonic,Seizure, Vertiginous,Seizure, Vestibular,Seizure, Visual,Seizures, Generalized Tonic-Clonic,Seizures, Nonepileptic,Sensory Seizure,Sensory Seizures,Single Seizures,Somatosensory Seizure,Somatosensory Seizures,Tonic Clonic Seizures,Tonic-Clonic Seizure, Generalized,Tonic-Clonic Seizures, Generalized,Vertiginous Seizure,Vertiginous Seizures,Vestibular Seizure,Vestibular Seizures,Visual Seizure,Visual Seizures